Carryout foods such as pizza is packaged in different ways for carrying by the customer from the store for consumption. One way in which carryout pizza is packaged is in a flat cardboard box which has a top that is opened for serving of the pizza. Such boxes advantageously prevent contact with the top of the pizza, but have the disadvantages of being relatively costly and not being particularly easy to use for service of the food since the top gets in the way once it is opened. Another way in which pizza is sold is with a flat cardboard sheet that is inserted into a bag to cover the top of the pizza. While this latter type of packaging is more economical than cardboard boxes, the flat tray does not prevent contact between the bag and the top of the pizza and the pizza is not prevented from slipping off the flat tray when it is inclined.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,476,304 discloses a pizza carton that can be folded to form a tray with sides. However, the construction of this carton involves multiple folds at each carton corner and has never found widespread acceptance.
Other prior paperboard containers are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,151,472; 2,231,515; 2,657,849; and 2,979,250.